ImmuKnow as a diagnostic tool for predicting infection and acute rejection in adult liver transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Emilio Rodrigo, Marcos López‐Hoyos, Mario Corral, Emilio Fábrega, Gema Fernández‐Fresnedo, David San Segundo, Celestino Piñera, Manuel Arias – 27 June 2012 – Immune status monitoring of transplant recipients could identify patients at risk of acute rejection, infection, and cancer, which are important sources of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The ImmuKnow assay provides an objective assessment of the cellular immune function of immunosuppressed patients.

Severe muscle depletion in patients on the liver transplant wait list: Its prevalence and independent prognostic value

Puneeta Tandon, Michael Ney, Ivana Irwin, Mang M. Ma, Leah Gramlich, Vincent G. Bain, Nina Esfandiari, Vickie Baracos, Aldo J. Montano‐Loza, Robert P. Myers – 27 June 2012 – As detected by cross‐sectional imaging, severe muscle depletion, which is termed sarcopenia, holds promise for prognostication in patients with cirrhosis. Our aims were to describe the prevalence and predictors of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation (LT) and to determine its independent prognostic significance for the prediction of waiting‐list mortality.

Investigation of residual hepatitis C virus in presumed recovered subjects

Kei Fujiwara, Robert D. Allison, Richard Y. Wang, Patricia Bare, Kentaro Matsuura, Cathy Schechterly, Krishna Murthy, Francesco M. Marincola, Harvey J. Alter – 23 June 2012 – Recent studies have found hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the majority of presumed recovered subjects. We investigated this unexpected finding using samples from patients whose HCV RNA and anti‐HCV status had been serially confirmed. HCV RNA was detected in PBMCs from 66 of 67 chronic HCV carriers.

Use of higher thromboelastogram transfusion values is not associated with greater blood loss in liver transplant surgery

Shen‐Chih Wang, Ho‐Tien Lin, Kuang‐Yi Chang, M. Susan Mandell, Chien‐Kun Ting, Ya‐Chun Chu, Che‐Chuan Loong, Kwok‐Hon Chan, Mei‐Yung Tsou – 23 June 2012 – Plasma‐containing products are given during the pre‐anhepatic stage of liver transplant surgery to correct abnormal thromboelastogram (TEG) values and prevent blood loss due to coagulation defects. However, evidence suggests that abnormal TEG results do not always predict bleeding. We questioned what effect using higher TEG values to initiate treatment would have on blood loss.

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